Ailing plate manufacturer bails out from its core inkjet technology product line, putting it out for sale even as it launches a new writing head at drupa.
Over 20 years of development of the continuous feed Steam inkjet technology has not paid off for Kodak in its Prosper presses as it struggles to remain relevant in the transition to digital printing. The Rochchester-based Eastman Kodak Company is getting out of developing new inkjet printers, hiring investment bankers on two continents to find other companies to pick up the challenge.
After announcing it would not be taking its new UltraStream inkjet head to the stage of building a new press during a media conference in Düsseldorf, Kodak has now confirmed it no longer wants to develop any inkjet using the Stream technology. A spokesperson said the company would continue to invest in developing the technology during the sale process.
The decision brings to an end one of the most radical inkjet experiments, the Stream system where by a continuous stream of ink is sliced and diced into micro-drops by ‘air knives.’ Stream technology was developed in Dayton Ohio and battled accuracy issues from the start. It relied on its strength of being able to deliver more ink to the substrate than any other systems such as thermal or piezo inkjets. It was commercialised mostly in the Prosper press line, the latest of which, the 6000C, runs at 300 meters per minute. It had its best success as stand-alone inkjet heads attached to high-speed web presses where its continuous inkjet could keep pace with one-pass printing.
At this drupa Kodak is launching its UltraStream inkjet, which uses a very different form of image creation to the Stream. Splitting the ink stream with rapid-fire electric pulses instead of ‘air knives’ it claims much greater accuracy and precision. Its integration into a working press will depend on the vision and determination of others.
The exit announcement leaves Kodak with only the NexPress toner-based digital press in its line-up. This brand has struggled for market share in the fiercely competitive digital print commercial market, even as it is recognised as one of the best quality digital presses around. Originally developed in conjunction with Heidelberg, the NexPress has endured a fairly torrid history of ownership and development. The Stream exit will not provide much comfort to the Nexpress installed base of which there are approximately ten in Australia and New Zealand.
Kodak claims it is getting out of the Prosper business because it does not have the critical mass in digital printing required to bring it to market. “The Prosper business has significant potential for accelerated growth,” said Jeff Clarke, Kodak CEO. “To achieve its full economic potential, Prosper will be best leveraged by a company with a larger sales and distribution footprint in digital printing markets. We have received strategic interest in the Prosper business from companies and their financial representatives. This is an exceptional technology and product set, highly valued by the printing industry.”
At the same time Kodak announced it will exit its development but maintain production of silver metal mesh, technology used in the touch screen sector. According to Philip Cullimore, president of Kodak’s Micro 3D Printing & Packaging Division, after developing both silver and copper metal mesh technologies, Kodak has decided to focus on copper.
“Based on feedback from industry participants, it’s clear our fully additive copper metal mesh is the winning approach in terms of overall cost, setup cost and scalability to larger screens — where we see the most significant opportunities,” said Cullimore.
Kodak will continue to make silver halide film available to touch screen sensor manufacturers.